Expected complication for Ferrari: Charles Leclerc starts the Belgian Grand Prix from last place

Before the start of the race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, Ferrari has bad news for its Monegasque driver. Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix from last place. However, it is good for the Italian stable that they are making this move now.

Formula 1 is back in action after a long and obligatory summer break, with nine races remaining in the second half of the season. So after a month’s break, we’re going to have a triple-header, so three races in a row.

This weekend sees the queen of motorsport at the Belgian Grand Prix, followed by a race in the Netherlands and at Monza in Italy. At the halfway point of the season, Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship with an 80-point lead over second-placed Leclerc.

Red Bull also currently holds the Constructors’ Cup. The Austrian team has collected 431 points so far. Ferrari is in second place with 334 points, with Mercedes just 30 points behind in third.

The second half of this season is likely to be interesting in terms of the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Cup rather than the title. For according to behind-the-scenes information, Mercedes is planning one more really big upgrade.

Ferrari may start to worry, as Mercedes has been a very reliable car so far, which is especially true of the Italian team’s engines. While the German stable is still below the rules that allow the replacement of power unit components without penalty, except for the turbo and MGU-H in Lewis Hamilton’s car, Ferrari is much worse off.

Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix from the back of the grid

Both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have already replaced major power unit components four times, and so will face penalties each time they do so. And that’s exactly what will befall the 24-year-old Monegasque in Belgium.

It should be noted, it is better for Ferrari to receive a penalty in Belgium than at the Zandvoort circuit, which is much more technical and offers fewer overtaking opportunities. Belgium and Italy, on the other hand, will be very demanding on the engines indeed.

The move by Ferrari will also allow Leclerc to race with an upgraded hybrid power unit system, which will make its debut at Spa-Francorchamps. However, Leclerc will also use the all-new gearbox in Belgium.

It will therefore be the second time this year that Leclerc will start from the rear positions. The first time he went into a race like this was at the Canadian Grand Prix, when he changed several components on his power unit.

Sources